IntroductionThis non-acquisitive award is dedicated to excellence across contemporary and traditional painting genres. The Award has developed over 28 years and sits credibly within the New Zealand arts community. A high standard of work is selected to form the exhibition from nation wide entries by three pre-selection judgesFor participants, the award offers professional development opportunities for artists by showcasing their practice to peers, collectors, critics, museum curators, the media and the community at large.Presented by Arts Whakatāne and Whakatāne Museum and Arts,

Our VisionTo encourage and celebrate the development of painting and drawing on a national level and reward artists who create outstanding works.To exhibit painting and drawing to the public and provide a forum within which works can be viewed, studied and evaluated.

A record number of digital entries for the 2019 Molly Morpeth Canaday Award - Painting and Drawing (MMCA) have been received from artists all over New Zealand. Some 500 entries are now being deliberated on by Preliminary Judges.

“It’s heartening to see enthusiasm for this award continue to grow,” says MMCA Coordinator Heather Hourigan. “Our preliminary judges will have some difficult decisions ahead of them.”

These judges - Ane Tonga (curator and writer), Andrew McLeod (artist), and Kirstin Carlin (artist and 2017 MMCA Major Award Winner) - are tasked with independently selecting their top picks from the pool of 500 entries. The scores awarded by these judges will be collated in January, to determine the works called in for exhibition. Entrants will be notified of these results by Thursday 17 January 2019.

“After that is when the physical work starts for our local team - receiving, unpacking and installing works in preparation for our international Guest Judge Dr. Christopher McAuliffe, who will select our Award Winners for 2019,” says Whakatāne Museum and Arts Exhibitions Coordinator Victoria Sinclair. “We have a great range of talks lined up from 14 February onwards, which will all be free to attend thanks to the generosity of local anonymous sponsors. It’s going to be an exciting season, and we’re very much looking forward to spending it with our extended arts community.”

The 2019 Molly Morpeth Canaday Award - Painting and Drawing exhibition, presented by Arts Whakatāne and Whakatane Museum and Arts, will be open for viewing from Sunday 17 February - Sunday 7 April 2019 at Te Kōputu a te whanga a Toi - Whakatāne Library and Exhibition Centre. Programme details can be found on the Molly Morpeth Canaday Award website (www.mollymorpethcanaday.co.nz).

Historical first for Molly Morpeth Cananday Award 2019 - Painting and Drawing: International guest judge appointed

(Media release : 3rd October 2018)

Organisers of the Molly Morpeth Canaday Award (MMCA) - Painting and Drawing today announce leading Australian art academic and critic Dr Christopher McAuliffe as Guest Judge for the 2019 edition of the competition. The appointment of an international art professional to the judging panel is a historical first for the 32-year-old award, which began its 2019 call for entries from New Zealand artists on 1 August 2018, closing 1 December.

Currently a Professor of Art in Practice-led Research at the School of Art and Design, Australian National University, Dr McAuliffe has held significant museum and academic positions since 1988, including Director University of Melbourne’s Ian Potter Museum of Art. He is an influential curator, with his most recent exhibition, Robert Smithson: Time Crystals, showing at the University of Queensland Art Museum this year. A prolific writer and critic, Dr McAuliffe has published over 130 articles, academic papers, reviews, and books, focusing primarily on Australian art.

“We chose Dr Christopher McAuliffe not only for his credentials in the art environment, which are impressive, but also for the impartiality and the unique perspective he will bring to this crucial role of Guest Judge,” says Heather Hourigan, MMCA Coordinator. “With his international and Australian experience, we are confident he will provide a fresh set of eyes to the competition.”

Winners will be selected in a two-stage judging process that has seen a rigorous revamp for the 2019 award season. Three leading art practitioners will review all entries and select the 2019 finalists: 2017 MMCA winner Kirstin Carlin; award winning artist Andrew McLeod; and Auckland based artist, curator and writer Ane Tonga sit on this 2019 preliminary judging panel. Finalists are exhibited at Te Kōputu a te Whanga a Toi – the Whakatāne Library and Exhibition Centre, where Guest Judge Dr McAuliffe will select the 2019 award winners from among the works on show.

Founded by the Whakatane District Community Arts Council (Arts Whakatāne), the MMCA is one of New Zealand's longest running and most vibrant national contemporary art awards. Entries for the 2019 year for the Molly Morpeth Canaday Award - Painting and Drawing opened in August this year and will close on 1 December 2018. Up for grabs by New Zealand artists–both emerging and established–is over $20,000 in awards, including the $10,000 MMCA Major Award, $4,000 Akel Shulte Award and $2,500 Craig’s Investment Partners Youth Award.

The exhibition of finalist works opens to the public on Saturday 16 February 2019 at Te Kōputu a te whanga a Toi – Whakatāne Library and Exhibition Centre, closing Sunday 7th April 2019. On Sunday 17 February 2019, Guest Judge Dr Christopher McAuliffe will deliver an MMCA Judges Gallery Talk about the 2019 evaluation process, and prior to the exhibition opening.

On Thursday 14 February 2019 at 5pm, Dr McAuliffe will take to the stage at Port Ōhope Yacht Club to present a special guest lecture, “Is art for everyone?”

The 2019 Molly Morpeth Canaday Award - Painting and Drawing is presented by Arts Whakatāne and Whakatāne Museum and Arts. The Molly Morpeth Canaday Trust is the primary award sponsor.

Guest Judge Dr Christopher McAuliffe will be flown to Whakatāne from Auckland courtesy of Air Chathams.

MMCA Background informationFounded in 1986 as the Shell Art Award by the Whakatane District Community Arts Council (Arts Whakatāne), the competition quickly gained the respect of the New Zealand art community. In 1991, the Molly Morpeth Canaday Trust joined as principal sponsor and the name of the award was changed to acknowledge their support, becoming known as the Molly Morpeth Canaday Award. Today, two awards exist under the MMCA banner, one for painting and drawing and another for 3D works. The Molly Morpeth Canaday Trust was established by Frank H. Canaday, the husband of Molly Morpeth Canaday, in Whakatāne in 1971 and is a major supporter of the arts in the region.